Commission selects purchaser for Fee House after competing offers and public comment

Public comments at the meeting included multiple proponents for keeping the Fee House as a restored single-family property and competing offers from residents who described different visions for the structure. Brenda Rigdon, an architect and former executive director of the Michigan Historic Preservation Network, told commissioners she believed Kevin Martis and his wife would be "the best stewards of this architectural treasure," emphasizing a restoration that follows Secretary of the Interior standards. Dan Demllo, a bidder, said his purchase agreement offered a different plan — a boutique bed-and-breakfast tied to local businesses — and told commissioners he believes his offer exceeded the one put forward in the resolution packet.